The Quaternary lacustrine deposits of the Serra dos Carajas (state of Para, Brazil) - ages and other preliminary results

Abstract

The Quaternary deposits of the Amazon basin in Brazil are still now very imperfectly known. The difficulties of penetration within a huge tropical forest and a poor human occupation are probably the most important factors. Though very scarce, the published papers especially during the last 15 years, allowed us to reach the conclusion that this area was also subjected to fluctuation in paleoclimate which was worldwide active during the Quaternary. The preliminary results of physical, chemical and mineralogical analyses of a sedimentary column sampled in a Southern Serra dos Carajas (State of Para, Brazil) lake suggested very clearly that this Amazon area has been submitted to important alternate paleoclimate change during the last 50 000 years. -from Authors